Chapter Eleven: Practice Makes Perfect

Disclaimer: I own nothing Charmed-related. I only own the Fitzgeralds and the plot.

Over the next couple of days, Vanessa kept busy. Since she didn't have a job, Piper had asked her to help out around the house. Vanessa obliged and spent practically all of her time cleaning up.

At the end of the week, Phoebe found Vanessa in her new room texting a friend. "Hey can I ask you something?" Phoebe asked casually. Vanessa looked up and said, "Sure, what's up?"

"It's about your abilities. We think that you should practice at it while you're in the house. Start with something simple, like moving the tissues closer to you or something. We don't want you to overdo it, so Piper recommended that you try not to move big things yet."

Vanessa said that she would work on her powers and said goodnight to her aunt. Thinking over what Phoebe had told her, Vanessa decided that tonight would be a good a time as any to start practicing. She noticed her hairbrush sitting on her dresser and thought about it coming over to herself so she could brush the knots out before bed. At first the brush only wobbled. Once Vanessa focused harder, the brush soared over and she began to brush her long, black hair.

While Vanessa quickly braided her hair, she thought about what else she could do with her powers. She realized that her pajamas were in the closet. Closing her eyes, Vanessa focused all of her energy into opening the closet door. She opened her eyes and the world spun. I shouldn't have done that, she thought, I used up too much of my energy.

Falling to her knees, Vanessa crawled to the bed and climbed onto it, trying to focus on something that would make the room stop spinning. She looked up at the dream catcher she had put up that morning and focused on it. After a good thirty seconds, the world stopped spinning and Vanessa found herself with a killer migraine. She winced at the light coming from her lamp and turned it off.

Blinking at the abrupt darkness, Vanessa wondered if the Halliwell's would have anything to help her headache. Stumbling downstairs to the kitchen, she looked around for some chamomile tea. Her mother had always given her some when Vanessa complained of a headache.

"What are you looking for?" Piper's voice sounded incredibly loud.

"Chamomile," Vanessa whispered. "I've got a major headache." Piper walked over and opened a cabinet, taking out some tea packets. Piper smiled at Vanessa and gently guided her to the table.

"Sit, I'll get it for you," Piper said. Vanessa whispered thanks and then she started rubbing her fingers against her temple, hoping for some relief. A couple minutes later, Piper put a mug in front of Vanessa and then sat across from her.

"Careful it's hot," Piper said. Vanessa took a sip from the mug and then started breathing in the scent. "You look kind of like her," Piper continued, "You have her nose to start and some of your personality traits are similar to hers too." Vanessa didn't say a word but gently rubbed her nose, thinking of the mother she had never known.

Suddenly, Piper stood up and said, "The best thing for a headache is sleep. So finish the tea and just leave it by the sink; I'll get to it tomorrow. And then, you should go straight to bed." Vanessa nodded her gratitude and took another sip. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, Piper was gone.

Ten minutes later, Vanessa felt much better. She still had a headache, but it wasn't as bad as before. She decided that before bed, she would try to move something very small and light. Looking around her room, Vanessa tried to move her cell phone from her desk to her hand. Looking at her cell phone, Vanessa thought about it moving to her hand, but she made sure not to think to hard. She blinked once and then felt a weight in her hand. Smiling slightly, Vanessa lookeddown at her cell phone and then moved it back to her desk.She climbed into bed and fell asleep within seconds.

The next morning, Vanessa woke up feeling refreshed. On impulse, she thought about her ipod and it moved from her purse to her hand. I'm getting it, Vanessa thought cheerfully. She then moved her ipod to her desk using her abilities. Feeling joyous, Vanessa got up to get ready for the day.

When she got downstairs, she found her aunts in the middle of their morning routine. Piper making breakfast, Phoebe flipping through the paper, and Paige yawning into her coffee. Vanessa smiled and then brightly said, "Morning all!" Three pairs of eyes moved to the doorway and in each of them Vanessa saw that they were happy to see her.

"Anything I can do to help?" Vanessa wanted to know. Everybody shook their heads, so Vanessa sat down at the table. Phoebe looked over at her and asked, "Have you been practicing?" Vanessa nodded and to prove it, moved the section of the paper she wanted from the stack over to her. Looking a bit smug, Vanessa started reading her section. Rolling her eyes slightly, Phoebe nodded and said, "You're getting it. Soon, you may even be ready for bigger things."

At this, Vanessa looked up eagerly; "Can I try now?" Piper thought about that and then asked how much effort it took to get the paper. "Not much," Vanessa responded. Piper considered and then asked Vanessa to get her the spatula that was across the kitchen from Piper. Vanessa looked over at the spatula and said, "That's not bigger, Aunt Piper. I want to try something bigger."

Phoebe looked over at Piper and then dragged Vanessa out to the next room. "I don't think you're quite ready for couches, but what about that lamp?" Phoebe motioned in the lamp's direction. Vanessa looked at the lamp and then imagined it floating. Nothing happened and Vanessa looked down, disappointed. Using a finger, Phoebe brought Vanessa's face level again and said, "Use a little bit more force this time, you'll get there yet."

Vanessa took a breath and then imagined the lamp hovering above the table it was on. Using a little bit more energy, Vanessa managed to levitate the lamp. Setting it back down carefully, Vanessa smiled widely and cried, "Yea! I think I got it now."

Phoebe smiled at Vanessa's reaction and then said, "A bit more practice and you'll be golden. But, you're not ready to help us if a demon comes. If one does show up, go to your room and don't come out until we say it's clear. We don't want you getting hurt, so practice and then we'll decide when you are ready." Vanessa sighed and then hung her head in assent. She understood why her aunt was being so cautious: they didn't want to lose her right after they had reunited.

I don't even believe these demons exist, she thought stubbornly, I know that our powers are real; I've had the proof. I've had no proof that demons are real, but they were right about my powers so they're also probably right about demons. Suddenly, she heard a crash from the next roomand a voice yelling, "Oh, not again. Can't we get through breakfast?" Vanessa recognized her aunt Paige's voice and smiled before running to the kitchen door.

Inside, two men were throwing fireballs and energy balls at Piper and Paige. Vanessa watched entranced as Phoebe joined her sisters and the three of them said a spell. Vanessa couldn't understand the words and assumed it was in a different language. The demons started screaming in agony and then they went up in smoke.

"Are they gone?" Vanessa's words broke the silence. The sister's nodded and then Phoebe said, "Didn't I tell you to go up to your room if there was a demon attack?" Vanessa lowered her head in shame; she had completely forgotten her aunt's words being so caught up in watching the action.

"Just do it next time, okay?" Paige said. "We understand that it's the first demon you've seen and watching these attacks is like watching a car accident: you can't look away, but you can't stop it either. We'll teach you what you need to know and then you can help us. For now, start looking through the Book and learn about the different demons and spells." Vanessa nodded and then headed upstairs, intent on researching demons as soon as possible.